Rick Wagstaffe

Change Management Director, Manchester Airport Group

Rick Wagstaffe is Change Management Director at Manchester Airport and leads change management and operational readiness across major transformation and operational change programmes.

With more than 40 years' experience in aviation, Rick has held leadership roles spanning procurement, ground handling, airline operations, stakeholder engagement and airport transformation. Since joining Manchester Airport Group in 2016, he has played a central role in the Manchester Airport Transformation Programme, working closely with airlines and industry partners to deliver successful operational change. Rick specialises in stakeholder engagement, organisational adoption and ensuring major infrastructure investments deliver lasting operational and customer benefits.

Opening keynote | Transforming More Than Terminals: The Human Side of Change at Manchester Airport

In this practical case study, speakers from across the transformation programme will share how they delivered complex change in a live operational environment, bringing together Operations, Commercial, Digital and wider business functions around a common vision. The session will explore how effective stakeholder engagement, clear communication, collaborative leadership and strong change management helped embed new ways of working, maintain operational performance and achieve business outcomes at pace.

Attendees will gain insights into the realities of delivering transformation at scale, including navigating competing priorities, building trust across diverse stakeholder groups, influencing behavioural change, and leading teams through uncertainty. Through real world examples from one of the UK's busiest airports, the session will demonstrate why successful transformation is as much about people and behaviours as it is about projects, processes and technology.